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Photo-Recipe™ for Your Pets!
10/05/2010 | Me Ra Koh
Learn how to take adorable pictures of your pets with help from photography expert Me Ra Koh.
Trying to capture a great picture of your pet can feel like an impossible task. The cat’s fur blends into the background. The dogs end up looking like a blurred object because they never sit still. The bunny’s face looks distorted. All we want is to capture a photo that represents the furry creature who has stolen our heart! Is there a way?
Yes! The biggest photo tip I can give is set yourself up for success. Think of your pet as a distracted two year old who doesn’t want to sit still for photos. Instead of chasing them around the house with your camera, adding to your collection of blurred photos, set some intentional time aside and turn the tables on your pet! Instead of chasing them, get two steps ahead of them, and surprise them with a pet photo shoot! How does a pet photo shoot work? Follow my Photo-Recipe below!
1. Prep the Scene.
Consider the color of your pet’s fur. If they are a mixture of dark browns and blacks, like Kathleen’s cat “Ducky” was, set up a background that will help their colors pop. For Ducky, I chose to work with a white bedspread and pillows so Ducky’s brown colored fur would stand out and be rich in depth. Prep the scene by finding a bedspread, couch, or simple blanket or sheet that you can throw down for your pet photo shoot.
2. Prep the Pet.
Before I do a pet photo shoot of my Golden Retriever, Rosie, I take her to the dog park so she can run out as much energy as possible. This way, when we get home, she’s tired and much more ready to be calm for the camera. You can also have a helper stroke your pet, talking to them in calming tones to help them stay relaxed. When you are ready have your helper lift their hand out of the shot so you can shoot away!
3. Resist Standing Up.
One of the most common mistakes in pet photos is the shooter is standing up and shooting down on the pet. That is a GREAT angle for people, as we discussed in “How to Look Thinner in Photos.” But shooting down on pets makes them look too small and disproportioned. Instead of standing up, get down to your pet’s eye level, or go even lower and shoot up on them, like we did on the show with the two dogs!
4. Consider Props.
What types of props can you use that will accentuate your photos? Renee adopts bunnies and wanted to find a way to capture photos that made each bunny stand out from the other. We grabbed colored bowls from the kitchen and decided to put the bunny inside a yellow bowl. The bowl not only became a cute prop, but it also kept her bunny from hopping away. For every bunny she adopts, she can use a different bowl!
5. Turn Off the Flash.
The intensity of the camera’s pop-up flash gives people red eye, but animals have it even worse with yellow or green eye! It’s better to time your pet’s photo shoot when you have plenty of daylight.
6. Continuous Shooting Mode.
Most point-and-shoot cameras and DSLRs have a setting called Continuous Shooting or Burst Mode. This mode allows you to take several pictures at once. I always have my cameras set in this mode so I don’t miss a moment of the action, especially when working with active pets (or toddlers)!
7. Adorable Details!
Grab a piece of paper and write down three to four details you LOVE about your pet. Is it the way your bunny’s ears stand straight up when she’s relaxed? Is it your dog’s big wet nose? Is it your puppy’s sweet, furry paws and floppy ears? Zoom in or move your body to get in close and capture those adorable details.
If you have questions, I invite you to post them in the comments below! Let’s keep the conversation going! And in return, we’ll be that much closer to capturing great photos of our pets!
Me Ra Koh loves cameras, kids and parents, and spends her life bringing them together. Her work and Photo-Recipes have been featured on national television several times, including the "The Oprah Winfrey Show." You will also be seeing Me Ra on "The Nate Berkus Show "this season! To learn more about Me Ra, visit her blog at www.merakoh.com.
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